[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 227 (Monday, November 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73029-73030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25816]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Receipt of Permit Application
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit application; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the
public to comment on foreign or native species for which the Service
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With
some exceptions, the MMPA prohibits activities with listed species
unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities.
This Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing
permits for any activity otherwise prohibited with respect to any
species.
DATES: We must receive comments by December 28, 2022.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138.
Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138.
U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185
or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov. Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Comment Procedures
A. How do I comment on submitted applications?
We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies
to comment on applications. Before issuing permits, we take into
consideration any information that we receive during the public comment
period.
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address
not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our administrative
record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see
DATES).
When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and
regulations.
B. May I review comments submitted by others?
You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
C. Who will see my comments?
If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold
this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.
II. Background
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), we
invite public comments on permit applications before final action is
taken. With some exceptions, this Act prohibits certain activities with
listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such
activities. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity
otherwise prohibited by the MMPA with respect to any marine mammals are
available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 18.
Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we
are forwarding copies of the marine mammal application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their
review.
III. Permit Application
We invite comments on the following application.
Applicant: Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services, Eagle River, AK;
Permit No. PER0032559
The applicant requests a permit to export samples collected from
dead stranded polar bear (Ursus maritimus), Pacific walrus (Odobenus
rosmarus divergens), and non-distinct population segment northern sea
otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) for the purpose of scientific research.
This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant
over a 5-year period.
IV. Next Steps
After the comment period closes, we will make a decision regarding
permit issuance. If we issue a permit to the applicant in this notice,
we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may locate the
notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for
``12345A''.
V. Authority
We issue this notice under the authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
[[Page 73030]]
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.
Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits,
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2022-25816 Filed 11-25-22; 8:45 am]
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